单词	language
释义	languagelan‧guage /ˈlæŋɡwɪdʒ/ ●●● S1 W1 noun Entry menu MENU FOR languagelanguage1 English/French/Arabic etc2 communication3 style/type of words4 swearing5 strong language6 computers7 signs/actions/sounds Word Origin WORD ORIGINlanguage Origin: 1200-1300 Old French langue ‘tongue, language’, from Latin lingua Examples EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES "What language do they speak in Brazil?" "Portuguese." language skills a fascinating article about the language of baseball Books about physics are usually written in highly technical language. Confused by the legal language of the letter, Patterson called his attorney. English is the island's official language, but people also speak French and Creole. Every child develops the natural ability to use language. Every pupil has to learn at least one foreign language. How many languages do you speak? It's difficult living in a country where you don't speak the language. People often find the medical language used by doctors confusing. She can speak four different languages - French, German, English, and Dutch. the language of music the Japanese language the programming language C++ There are ways of communicating without language. You never heard such language! It was disgusting. Thesaurus THESAURUSdifferent kinds of language► dialect a form of a language that is spoken in one area of a country, with different words, grammar, or pronunciation from other areas: · Cantonese is only one of many Chinese dialects.· the local dialect ► accent the way that someone pronounces words, because of where they were born or live, or their social class: · Karen has a strong New Jersey accent.· an upper class accent ► slang very informal spoken language, used especially by people who belong to a particular group, for example young people or criminals: · Teenage slang changes all the time.· ‘Dosh’ is slang for ‘money’. ► terminology formal the technical words or expressions that are used in a particular subject: · musical terminology· Patients are often unfamiliar with medical terminology. ► jargon especially disapproving words and phrases used in a particular profession or subject and which are difficult for other people to understand: · The instructions were written in complicated technical jargon.· ‘Outsourcing’ is business jargon for sending work to people outside a company to do.· The letter was full of legal jargon. techniques used in language► metaphor a way of describing something by referring to it as something different and suggesting that it has similar qualities to that thing: · The beehive is a metaphor for human society. ► simile an expression that describes something by comparing it with something else, using the words as or like, for example ‘as white as snow’: · The poet uses the simile ‘soft like clay’. ► irony the use of words that are the opposite of what you really mean, often in order to be amusing: · ‘I’m so happy to hear that,’ he said, with more than a trace of irony in his voice. ► bathos a sudden change from a subject that is beautiful, moral, or serious to something that is ordinary, silly, or not important: · The play is too sentimental and full of bathos. ► hyperbole a way of describing something by saying that it is much bigger, smaller, worse etc than it actually is – used especially to excite people’s feelings: · In his speeches, he used a lot of hyperbole.· journalistic hyperbole ► alliteration the use of several words together that all begin with the same sound, in order to make a special effect, especially in poetry: · the alliteration of the ‘s’ sound in ‘sweet birds sang softly’ ► imagery the use of words to describe ideas or actions in a way that makes the reader connect the ideas with pictures in their mind: · the use of water imagery in Fitzgerald’s novel ‘The Great Gatsby’· She uses the imagery of a bird’s song to represent eternal hope. ► rhetorical question a question that you ask as a way of making a statement, without expecting an answer: · When he said ‘how can these attitudes still exist in a civilized society?’, he was asking a rhetorical question. Longman Language Activatorthe words used by the people in a particular country or area► language a system of words, phrases, and grammar that is used by the people who live in a particular country: speak a language: · "What language do they speak in Brazil?" "Portuguese."· She can speak four different languages - French, German, English, and Dutch.foreign language: · Every pupil has to learn at least one foreign language.official language (=the language used by the government): · English is the island's official language, but people also speak French and Creole.speak the language (=be able to speak the language of the country you are in): · It's difficult living in a country where you don't speak the language. ► lingo informal a foreign language: speak/know the lingo: · Travelling in Spain is much easier if you can speak the lingo.learn/pick up the lingo: · He picked up the local lingo straight away. ► dialect a form of a language which is spoken by the people who live in one area of a country, and which has different words, grammar, or pronunciation from other forms of that language: · In this region, the dialect sounds a lot like German.· At home, they speak in dialect.Yorkshire/German/Cantonese etc dialect: · In some Yorkshire dialects, people say "spice" instead of "sweets" or "candy".dialect word: · "Nowt" is a northern dialect word meaning "nothing".dialect of: · He spoke a dialect of French that I found hard to understand. ► slang very informal words used in a particular country or place: · I was totally confused by the slang that the other kids were using.slang for: · "Bladdered" is slang for "drunk".slang word/term/expression: · "Shepherd" was a slang term for a spy.US/British/Southern etc slang: · "Baloney" is US slang for nonsense. ► colloquial language that is colloquial is only used in conversation, not in formal situations: · It's a useful little phrase book, full of colloquial expressions.· The best way of improving your colloquial English is by listening to native speakers.· You shouldn't use phrases like "sort of" in essays -- they're too colloquial. the use of words to communicate► language the use of words, grammar etc to communicate with other people: · Every child develops the natural ability to use language.· There are ways of communicating without language. ► linguistic connected with people's ability to use language: linguistic ability/skills/development etc: · Hearing difficulties can slow down a child's linguistic development.· It is difficult to obtain accurate information on which to base an assessment of a child's linguistic abilities. the first language that you learn as a child► somebody's first language the first language you learn as a child - use this when you are comparing someone's first language with other languages that they learn later: · My first language is Dutch.· My daughter has several classmates whose first language is Bengali. ► somebody's mother tongue the first language you learn as a child - use this especially to talk about someone who now lives in a country where a different language is spoken: · We run classes for students whose mother tongue is not English. ► native speaker a native speaker of a language is someone who learned that language first as a child: · The book is aimed at learners of English rather than native speakers.native speaker of: · There has been an assumption in the past that anyone who is a native speaker of English is equipped to teach English. when someone can speak more than one language► bilingual someone who is bilingual can speak two languages perfectly: · I'm bilingual - my mother was French.· Many of the pupils are bilingual in Welsh and English. ► somebody's second language your second language is a language that you speak well and often use, but not the first language that you learned as a child: · Halima was born in Kenya. Her first language is Swahili, and her second language is English. the language used by a particular group of people► language the kind of words used by people in a particular job or activity: legal/medical/business etc language: · Books about physics are usually written in highly technical language.· People often find the medical language used by doctors confusing.the language of something: · a fascinating article about the language of baseball ► terminology the special words that people working in science, medicine, the law etc use to describe things: · It is important that lawyers use the correct terminology when they prepare contracts.scientific/linguistic/computer etc terminology: · It was an interesting programme, which gave the facts without using too much scientific terminology. ► jargon words used by people who do a particular job or who are interested in a particular subject, which are difficult for ordinary people to understand: · When you first learn about computers, there is a whole lot of jargon to understand.management/legal/medical/computer jargon: · I hate all this management jargon about 'upskilling' and 'downsizing'. ► slang informal words that are used by specific groups of people, for example soldiers or prisoners: army/soldiers'/prison etc slang: · 'Doolally', meaning 'crazy', is 19th century soldiers' slang, and comes from the name of an Indian town. ► in layman's terms not using special, technical words that are hard to understand: · I want a book that will explain to me in layman's terms how my computer works. ► -speak : management/boardroom/PR etc -speak a type of language and the words used by managers etc - use this especially to talk about a way of speaking that you think is silly or unnecessarily different from normal language: · "What on earth does he mean, 'window'?" "Oh, that's management-speak for 'opportunity'."· Her email was so full of corporate-speak, you hardly realized that what she was saying was that we were all fired. rude and offensive words► bad/foul language formal language that most people think is offensive: · Even very young children are using foul language at school.· The computer chip allows parents to block programs containing violence, sex, or bad language. ► strong language language that most people think is offensive - used especially to warn people that there may be offensive words used in a film or television programme: · The following programme contains strong language, and some viewers may find it offensive.· The film has lots of violence, scenes of drug-taking, and strong language. ► colourful language language that uses a lot of swear words - use this in humorous contexts: · The colourful language of some of the characters may make it unsuitable for younger viewers. ► four-letter word a word that most people think is extremely offensive, especially one that is connected with sex or the sexual organs: · Rap songs are full of four-letter words.· It's a family show, with no four-letter words. ► swear word a rude and offensive word that people use especially when they are angry: · He wasn't the type of man to use swear words.· We had to take all the swear words out of the play. ► obscenity a word or expression, especially about sex, that most people think is extremely offensive: · Someone had written obscenities all over the classroom wall.· Rick burst into the apartment, drunk and shouting obscenities. ► unprintable remarks, words etc that are unprintable are too offensive to appear in a newspaper, magazine, or book: · Most of what she said in the interview was unprintable.· Chief McNally admits he's been called many things, some of them unprintable. to have the same beliefs, ideas, or opinions as someone else► like-minded having the same attitudes and beliefs and enjoying the same things as someone else: · Being with like-minded people makes my job much more enjoyable.· She convinced a group of like-minded friends to join her trekking in the Himalayas. ► be on the same wavelength to have the same opinions, attitudes, and feelings as someone else, so that you understand each other very well: · My mother and I just aren't on the same wavelength -- she just can't understand why I don't want to get married. ► speak the same language to have the same opinions as someone else and agree about most things, so that you can exchange ideas easily and easily understand: · Politically they are our enemies, but when it comes to trade I think we speak the same language.· When your sales, marketing, and production people are all speaking the same language, it pays real dividends. ► be in tune with to have the same ideas and attitudes as a group, society, country etc and be easily accepted by it: · I'm not sure you're quite in tune with the philosophy of the organization.· Sartre's novels and plays were in tune with the revolutionary spirit of post-war France. WORD SETS► Computers access, verbaccess point, nounaccess time, nounaccounting system, accumulator, nounadd-on, nounADSL, nounaffective computing, nounAI, nounALGOL, nounalias, nounANSI, anti-spam, adjectiveanti-virus, adjectiveanti-virus software, nounAPL, nounapp, nounApple, Apple Macintosh, applet, nounapplication, nounapplication software, nounarcade game, nounarchitecture, nounarchive, nounarchive, verbarray, nounartificial intelligence, nounASCII, nounASIC, nounASP, nounassembly language, nounasynchronous, adjectiveAT&T, attachment, nounaudit trail, nounautomate, verbautomated, adjectiveautomation, nounavatar, nounB2B exchange, nounB2C, adjectiveB2E, adjectiveBabbage, Charles, backslash, nounbackspace, nounbackup, nounback-up copy, bandwidth, nounbar code, nounBASIC, nounbatch, nounbatch processing, nounbaud rate, nounBerners-Lee, Tim, bespoke, adjectivebeta test, nounBig Blue, bioinformatics, nounbiometric, adjectivebit, nounbitmap, nounBlackBerry, nounbloatware, nounblog, nounBluetooth, nounBMP, nounbond certificate, book entry, bookmark, nounbookmark, verbbook of final entry, nounbook of first entry, nounBoolean, adjectiveboot, verbbootable, adjectivebootstrapping, nounbot, nounbotnet, nounbps, brain dump, nounbroadband, nounbrown goods, nounbrowse, verbbrowser, nounbubble jet printer, nounbuddy list, nounbuffer, nounbuffer, verbbug, nounbulletin board, nounbundle, nounbundle, verbburn, verbbus, nounbusiness continuity services, nounbusiness continuity services, button, nounbyte, nounCabinet Office Briefing Rooms, cable modem, nouncache, nouncache, verbCAD, nounCAD/CAM, nounCAL, nounCalifornia, nounCALL, nounCAM, nounCambridge, Capita, caps lock, nouncapture, verbcapture, nouncard, nouncathode ray tube, nounCAT scan, nounCBT, nounCD-R, nounCD-ROM, nounCD-ROM drive, CDRW, nounCD-RW, nouncentral processing unit, nouncentral processor, nounCGI, nounCHAPS, character, nounchat room, nouncheat, nouncheckbox, nounchip, nounchip card, CIM, CIO, clerical assistant, click, verbclickable, adjectiveclient, nounclient machine, client-server, adjectiveclient/server architecture, clip art, nounclipboard, nouncloaking, nounclock cycle, nounclock speed, nounclone, nouncluster, nounCOBOL, nouncode, nouncoder, nouncom, Comdex, nouncommand, nouncomm port, comms, nouncompact disc, nounCompaq, compatibility, nouncompatible, adjectivecompatible, nouncompile, verbcompiler, nouncompress, verbcomputer, nouncomputer (industry) analyst, computer-aided, adjectivecomputer-aided design, nouncomputer-aided manufacture, computer-aided manufacturing, nouncomputer-assisted, adjectivecomputerate, adjectivecomputer-based training, computer-generated, adjectivecomputer-integrated manufacture, computerize, verbcomputer-literate, adjectivecomputer modelling, nouncomputer science, nouncomputer system, computer virus, nouncomputing, nounconcordance, nounconfiguration, nounconfigure, verbconnect, verbconnectivity, nounconsole, nouncontrol, nouncontrol key, nouncookie, nouncoordinate, nounCorel, corrupt, verbcounter, nouncourseware, nounCPU, nouncrack, verbcrack, nouncracker, nouncrash, verbcrash, nounCroft, Lara, cross-platform, adjectivecross-posting, nounCtrl, nouncursor, nouncut, verbcutover, nouncyber-, prefixcybercrime, nouncybernetics, nouncyberpunk, nouncybersickness, nouncyberspace, nouncyberterrorist, nouncyberwidow, noundata, noundata bank, noundatabase, noundatabase management, database management system, data capture, noundata centre, data dictionary, noundata encryption standard, noundata file, data interchange format file, data mining, noundata processing, noundata protection, Data Protection Act, the, Dateline, daytrader, nounday trading, nounDBMS, debug, verbdecision support system, decode, verbdecompress, verbdecrypt, verbdefault, noundefragment, verbDel, noundelete, verbdeletion, noundeliverable, noundematerialize, verbdemo, verbdemonstration version, denial of service attack, noundeselect, verbdesktop, noundesktop computer, noundesktop publishing, noundestination site, dialogue box, noundial-up, adjectivedigerati, noundigicam, noundigital nervous system, digital rights management, digital wallet, nounDilbert, direct access, noundirectory, noundisaster recovery, noundisc, noundisinfect, verbdisk, noundisk drive, noundiskette, noundisk operating system, display, noundisplay, verbdistributed processing, Dixons, dock, noundock, verbdocking station, noundocument, noundocument sharing, noundongle, nounDOS, noundot-matrix printer, noundouble click, verbdouble-click, verbdouble density, adjectivedown, adverbdownload, verbdownload, noundownloadable, adjectivedowntime, noundown time, downwardly compatible, adjectiveDP, noundrag, verbdrive, noun-driven, suffixdriver, noundropdown, noundrop down, noundrop-down menu, nounDTP, noundumb terminal, dump, verbdump, nounDVD, nounDVD-ROM, nounEasdaq, noune-book, noune-business, nounECN, noune-commerce, nouneditor, nounedutainment, noune-fatigue, nounE-FIT, nounEFTPOS, nounelectronic, adjectiveelectronic bill of lading, electronic cottage, nounelectronic data interchange, nounelectronic funds transfer, nounelectronic invoice, electronic mail, nounelectronic media, electronic publishing, nounelectronics, nounelectrosmog, nounEllison, Larry, email, nounemail account, embed, verbencrypt, verbend-to-end, adjectiveenter, verbenterprise application integration, nounentry, nounEPROM, noune-publishing, nounequipment leasing, erase, verbErnie, error, nounerror message, nounescape key, Ethernet, noune-ticket, nounE-ticket, nounexecutable, nounexecute, verbexecution, nounexit, verbexpansion card, nounexpansion slot, nounexpert system, nounexport, verbextension, nounextranet, nouneye scan, nounF2F, adjectivefabricator, nounfactory preset, nounfatware, nounfeed, verbfeed, nounfield, nounfifth generation computer, file, nounfile manager, nounfilename, nounfile sharing, nounfile transfer, filing system, filter, nounfirewall, nounfirmware, nounfirst generation, nounfirst in, first out, nounfirst-person shooter, nounfive nines, nounfixed wireless, nounflash, verbflash, nounflash drive, nounflash memory, nounflatscreen, adjectiveflat screen, flip chip, nounfloor broker, floppy disk, nounfly-by-wire, nounfolder, nounfont, nounfooter, nounfootprint, nounforklift upgrade, nounformat, verbFortran, nounforum, noun404, adjectivefreeware, nounftp, nounfunction, nounfunctionality, nounfunction key, nounfungible, adjectivefuzzy logic, nounGame Boy, gameplay, noungamer, noungaming, noungarbage in, garbage out, Gates, Bill, gateway, nounghost, nounGIF, noungigabit, noungigabyte, nounGIGO, GIS, nounGlitter, Gary, global, adjectiveGLOBEX, nounGMS, nounGoogle, gopher, noungraphical, adjectivegraphical user interface, noungraphics, noungraphics card, noungraphic software, grid computing, noungroupware, nounGUI, nounhack, verbhack, nounhacker, nounhacktivist, nounhandshake, nounhard copy, nounhard disk, nounhard drive, nounhardware, nounhard-wired, adjectiveHawk, Tony, Hawking, Stephen, head, nounheader, nounhelp, nounhelp desk, nounhelp menu, help screen, nounHewlett Packard, hexadecimal, adjectivehigh-definition, adjectivehigh-level, adjectivehigh-level language, highlight, verbhome computer, home office, nounhome shopping, hookup, nounhook-up, nounhost computer, hot key, nounhot link, nounhot spot, nounHTML, nounhttp, hyperlink, nounhypertext, nounIBM, icon, nounICT, nounidentifier, nouniMac, nounimport, verbinbox, nounincremental backup, nounincubator space, industrial design, infect, verbinfected, adjectiveinformation exchange, information retrieval, nouninformation system, information technology, nouninfowar, nouninitialize, verbinkjet printer, nouninput, nouninput, verbinput/output, adjectiveinstall, verbinstaller, nounInstinet, Intel, intelligent terminal, interactive, adjectiveinteractive whiteboard, nouninterface, nouninterface, verbInternational Securities Exchange, nounInternet cafe, nounInternet Service Provider, interpreter, nounintranet, nouninvoke, verbIP address, nouniPod, nouniris scan, nounISDN, nounISP, nounIT, nouniterate, verbiTunes, iTV, nounJava, nounjob, nounjob bank, Jobs, Steve, joystick, nounJPEG, nounK, KB, keno, nounkey, nounkeyboard, nounkeyboard, verbkeyboarder, nounkeypad, nounkeystroke, nounkeyword, nounkilobyte, nounkit, nounkludge, nounknowledge base, Kraftwerk, LAN, nounlanguage, nounlaptop, nounlaser disk, nounlaser printer, nounlaunch, verbLCD, nounlight industry, nounlight pen, nounline printer, nounlink, verbLinux, nounLISP, nounlisting paper, listserv, nounload, verblocal area network, nounlog file, LOGO, nounloop, nounlow-level, adjectiveMac, nounmachine, nounmachine code, nounmachine language, machine-readable, adjectiveMacintosh, nounmacro, nounmagnetic disk, nounmagnetic media, nounmagnetic tape, nounmail, nounmail, verbmailbomb, nounmailbox, nounmailing list, nounmail merge, nounmainframe, nounmainframe computer, main memory, manual, adjectivemaximize, verbmegabyte, nounmemory, nounmemory address, memory bank, nounmemory card, nounmemory hog, nounMemory Stick, nounmenu, nounmessage, nounmetadata, nounmicro, nounmicrochip, nounmicrocomputer, nounmicroelectronics, nounmicroprocessor, nounMicrosoft, MIDI, nounmigrate, verbmigration, nounMillennium bug, minicomputer, nounminimize, verbmips, mission-critical, adjectiveMIT, mixer, nounmodel, nounmodel, verbmodelling, nounmodem, nounmodule, nounmonitor, nounMoore, Gordon, Moore's Law, nounmorphing, nounmotherboard, nounMotorola, mouse, nounmouse mat, nounmouse miles, nounmouse potato, nounMP3 player, nounMP4 player, nounMPEG, nounMSC, nounMS-DOS, multimedia, adjectivemulti-player gaming, nounmultiple applications, multiplexer, nounmultitasking, nounnagware, nounNasdaq, nounNASDAQ, Naseem, Prince, National Market System, nounNEC, nerd, nounnest, verbNetscape Navigator, network, nounnetwork, verbneural computer, nounneural network, nounneuroinformatics, nounnewbie, nounnew economy, nounNintendo, node, nounnoise, nounnotebook, nounnumber-cruncher, nounnumber crunching, nounobject, nounobject language, object-oriented, adjectiveOCR, nounOfex, nounoffice machinery, offline, adverboff-line, adjectiveonline, adjectiveonline catalogue, online updating, nounon-screen, adjectiveopen, verbOpen Group, the, open outcry, nounopen system, nounoperating system, nounoperation, nounoptical character recognition, nounoptical fibre, nounoption, nounorder, nounorganizing business, OSI, nounoutbox, nounoutput, nounoutput, verbover-the-counter dealing, over-the-counter market, over-the-counter share, over-the-counter stock, over-the-counter trading, overwrite, verbP2P, adjectivepackage, nounpacket, nounpacket-switching, nounpage, nounpage break, nounpalette, nounpalm phone, nounpalmtop, nounpaperless, adjectiveparallel data query, parallel port, parallel processing, nounPASCAL, nounpass-along, adjectivepassword, nounpaste, verbpasting, nounpatch, nounpause, verbPC, nounPC Card, nounPDA, nounPDF, nounPDF file, pen drive, nounPentium, peripheral, adjectiveperipheral, nounpersonal communicator, nounpersonal computer, nounpersonal electronic device, nounpersonal organizer, nounpetaflop, nounphishing, nounping, verbpiracy, nounpirate, verbpixel, nounplasma screen, nounplatform, nounplatform game, nounPlayStation, plotter, nounplug and play, nounplug-and-play, adjectiveplug-in, nounpointer, nounpop-under, nounpop-up, nounport, nounport, verbportable, adjectivepost, verbpost-industrial, adjectivePostScript, nounPowerPoint, nounprint, verbprinter, nounprintout, nounprint-out, nounprint preview, nounprocess, verbprocessing, nounprocessor, nounprogram, nounprogram, verbprogram file, programmable, adjectiveprogrammer, nounprogramme trading, programming, nounprogramming language, PROLOG, nounPROM, nounprompt, verbprompt, nounprotocol, nounPsion, pull down, nounpull-down, adjectivepull-down menu, nounpunched card, nounquantum computer, nounQuarkXPress, queue, nounqwerty, adjectiveRAM, nounrandom access memory, nounread, verbread only memory, read-only memory, nounread-out, nounread-write, adjectivereal-time, adjectivereboot, verbrecall, verbre-chip, verbrecord, nounrecord, verbrefresh, verbreload, verbremaster, verbremote access, nounremote control, nounremote working, nounreseller, nounreset, verbrespawn, verbretinal scanner, nounretrieval, nounretrieve, verbretry, verbreturn, nounright-click, verbrip, verbroad warrior, nounrobot, nounrollover, nounROM, nounRoute 128, nounrouter, nounroutine, nounRSI, nounRTF, nounrun, verbsalami slicing, nounSamsung, save, verbscalability, nounscalable, adjectivescan, verbscanner, nounscramble, verbscreen, nounscreen-based, adjectivescreen dump, nounscreensaver, nounscreen saver, nounscreenshot, nounscroll, verbscroll bar, nounscroll key, SCSI, nounSEAQ, search, nounsearch, verbsearchable, adjectivesearch engine, nounSEATS, nounsecurity rating, SEGA, self-healing, adjectivesend, verbserial port, server, nounserver farm, nounservice bureau, nounservice pack, nounSET, nounset-up, nounSFA, nounSGML, nounshareware, nounshift, nounshift key, nounshoot-'em-up, nounshopping bot, sig file, nounsilicon, nounsilicon chip, nounSilicon Fen, nounSilicon Glen, Silicon Valley, sim, nounSIMM, nounsimulation, nounSinclair, Sir Clive, single sourcing, skin, nounslo-mo, adjectivesmall office/home office, nounsmart, adjectivesmart bomb, nounsneakernet, nounsoft copy, nounsoftware, nounsoftware engineering, SoHo, SOHO, nounSonic the Hedgehog, sort, nounsoundcard, nounsource code, nounspace bar, nounspam, nounspeech recognition, nounspeech recognition software, speech synthesizer, nounspellcheck, nounspellchecker, nounspell-checker, nounspider, nounspider food, nounspim, nounsplit screen, nounspreadsheet, nounspreadsheet software, spyware, nounstandalone, adjectivestand-alone, adjectivestandby time, nounStarr Report, the, nounstarter pack, nounstart-up, nounstorage, nounstorage unit, store, verbstore-and-forward, nounstrategic information system, stream, verbstreaming, nounStreet Fighter, string, nounstylus, nounsubdirectory, nounsubroutine, nounsuite, nounSun Microsystems, sunrise industry, nounsupercomputer, nounsuperserver, nounsupport, verbsupport, nounswitching, nounsynchronous, adjectivesyntax, nounsynthespian, nounsystem, nounsystem administrator, nounsystems analyst, nounsystems programmer, system tray, nountab, verbtab key, nountab stop, nountag, nountag, verbtape, nountape drive, taskbar, nountechie, nountechnical support, nountechno-, prefixtechnocracy, nountechno-geek, nountechnophobe, nountechy, telecentre, nountelecommuter, nountelematics, nounteleprinter, nounteleworker, nountemplate, nounterabyte, nounteraflop, nounterminal, nountestdeck, nountext-to-speech, adjectivethird-generation, adjectivethird-party software, thumbnail, nountickbox, nountick box, nountime out, nountime-sharing, nountitle bar, nountoggle, nountoner, nountoolbar, nountoolbox, nounTOPIC, nountop-level domain, nountop ranking, nounTorvalds, Linus, Toshiba, Tottenham Court Road, touchpad, nountouch screen, nountrackball, nountransaction processing, transputer, nounTrojan horse, nountroubleshooter, nounTTS, Turing, Alan, tutorial, nounundo, verbuninstall, verbunique visitor, nounUnix, noununlisted share, unlisted stock, unrecoverable error, unzip, verbup, adverbupdate, nounupgrade, verbupload, verbupload, nounuptime, nounusability, nounUSB, nounUSB drive, nounuser-friendly, adjectiveuser group, nounuser interface, nounuser name, nounUS Robotics, utility, nounVActor, nounvalid, adjectivevalue-added reseller, vapourware, nounVDT, nounVDU, nounVGA, nounvideocard, nounvideo game, nounvideo snacking, nounviral marketing, nounvirtual, adjectivevirtual corporation, virtually, adverbvirtual memory, nounvirtual office, nounvirtual organization, virtual reality, nounvirus, nounvoice print, nounvoice recognition, wallpaper, nounWAN, nounWAP, noun-ware, suffixwar game, nounWAV, nounwearable, nounWeb 2.0, nounweb browser, nounweb crawler, nounweb design, nounweb development, web-enabled, adjectiveweb hosting, nounweb log, nounweb log file, wide area network, wi-fi, nounWi-Fi, nounwild card, nounwindow, nounWindows, Wintel, wipe, verbWiponet, nounwireless internet, wireless networking, nounWord, Wordperfect, word processor, nounworkspace, nounworkstation, nounWorld Wide Web, the, worm, nounWozniak, Steve, write, verbwrite-protected, adjectiveWYSIWYG, nounXbox, XML, nounY2K, nounYahoo!, zap, verbzip file, nounzombie, noun Collocations COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRYverbs► speak a language · Can you speak a foreign language? ► use a language · The children use their native language at home. ► learn a language · Immigrants are expected to learn the language of their new country. ► master a language (=succeed in learning a language well)· She had had a long struggle to master the Russian language. ► know a language · He had lived in Japan, but did not know the language. ADJECTIVES/NOUN + language► a foreign language · He found learning a foreign language extremely difficult. ► the English/Japanese/Spanish etc language · She had some knowledge of the Spanish language. ► somebody’s first/native language (=the language someone first learned as a child)· His first language was Polish. ► a second language (=a language you speak that is not your first language)· Most of the students learned English as their second language. ► modern languages (=languages that are spoken now)· The school has a good modern languages department. ► a dead language (=a language that is no longer spoken)· She didn’t see the point of learning a dead language. ► an official language (=the language used for official business in a country)· Canada has two official languages: English and French. ► a common language (=a language that more than one person or group speaks, so that they can understand each other)· Most of the countries of South America share a common language: Spanish. language + NOUN► the language barrier (=the problem of communicating with someone when you do not speak the same language)· Because of the language barrier, it was hard for doctors to give good advice to patients. ► a language student/learner · Language learners often have problems with tenses. ► a language teacher · a book for language teachers ► language teaching · recent developments in language teaching phrases► somebody’s command of a language (=someone’s ability to speak a language)· Does he have a good command of the language? COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES► the language barrier (=the problem of understanding people who do not speak the same language)· Living in China was hard for me at first because of the language barrier. ► body language (=the movements and expressions that show what you feel)· Nervousness is usually clearly expressed in body language. ► a computer language (=a system of instructions used to program a computer) ► a language/art/design etc course · The school runs ten-week language courses three times a year. ► everyday language  Describe it in ordinary everyday language. ► a foreign-language film (=a film in a language that is not the audience’s native language)· Foreign-language films seldom do well at the box office. ► filthy language/story/joke etc ► inappropriate behaviour/response/language etc ► a language learner · a textbook for language learners ► living language  a living language (=one that people still use) ► modern languages British English (=languages that are spoken today, as a subject of study)· French, German and other modern languages ► language skills (=the ability to use a language)· We need to hire people with useful language skills. ► language/history/science etc teacher ► language/English/science etc teaching · She has considerable experience in language teaching. ► use ... language  Don’t use bad language. COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADJECTIVE► bad · Prince Charles yesterday parodied Hamlet to illustrate how literature could be destroyed by bad use of language.· Teachers and school psychologists will tell you that bad language is the first symptom of conflict and it only escalates from there.· The Professional's wife, acting as Steward, was dismissed for bad language and automatically it cost her husband his job.· They accompanied bad language with good works.· But he would never use bad language when he was near his bees.· He doesn't like bad language.· The bulk of reported incidents again concerned bad language and unsportsmanlike conduct.· The first - bad language - demonstrates the value of ignoring as a first line of defence. ► different · But perhaps the most important feature which makes communication possible across different sign languages is the shared culture of deaf people.· That the regular correspondence occurs in words among different languages that are the same or similar in meaning is crucial also.· Images, she notes, are signifiers of a different order than language.· The user can click on a button to switch between the different languages.· Several parallel editions in the different languages are to be recommended.· We might speak different languages but we're all the same.· Indeed it is its very innateness, given sufficient divergence between different languages, that make such counterexamples seem possible.· Speakers of different languages and cultural backgrounds, and from different social groups, vary quite significantly in their preferred language norms. ► foreign · Its main focus is foreign languages: teaching, learning, research and policy.· On the streets were strange people who spoke a foreign language.· Couldn't understand it, though, it was in a foreign language.· But even if you speak many foreign languages, such transactions become difficult for currency reasons.· He couldn't speak any foreign languages.· Despite their isolation the doctors often speak foreign languages.· According to Marx, the ability to understand humour in a foreign language is a mark of the highest linguistic skill. ► foul · The Police are seemingly unable to do anything about it, especially against the use of the foulest language accompanying such vice. ► modern · Our modern language and our modern writing have grown out of the language and literature of the past.· J., is an associate professor of modern and classical languages at the University of San Francisco.· We noted earlier that, as well as a shortage of science teachers in schools, there is a shortage of modern language teachers.· The last group was used in secondary schools and in the modern language institute in Tunis.· Students combining Latin with a modern language usually spend their third year studying Latin at a university in the appropriate country.· Descriptive Neither historical nor comparative grammar is a likely foundation for a modern language method.· And the importance of modern language teaching will be very much greater.· The Nuffield modern languages survey has not yet reported and the only available account is an interim report from 1985. ► native · But dialect features are not errors in this sense at all, but are characteristics of a pupil's native language.· Most children in all cultures begin to master their native language around age 2.· Their native music and language is, however, a means of restoring some identity and self-respect.· Interference from the native language is probably one of the most noticeable aspects of the early stages in second language learning.· Task groups are formulating standards for the areas of multiprocessor technologies, compliance technologies and native language system localisation.· Explanations, information and annotations in the user's native language relate to the procedures and practice in the foreign language. ► natural · However for computer processing of natural language ambiguity causes a large problem.· Semantic net infrastructure A semantic network is a graph where natural language terms have been used to label the nodes and links.· Language and linguistics Over the past decade, work on formal theories of meaning for natural languages has developed very swiftly.· Such experimental retrieval may be more necessary for searches using the natural language of the document.· In the light of all this, I do not think it premature to put forward an evolutionary scenario for natural language.· In some circumstances natural language indexing may reflect more closely the terms used by the searcher.· The development of a natural language interface to a database has proved to be more tractable than other applications. ► official · They must speak only in one of four official languages.· It should be an easy task to produce a comparative table listing official language policies. ► ordinary · It is good because it is written in friendly, ordinary language and where jargon creeps in, it is explained.· The accused may be guilty even though he does not in ordinary language obtain a service.· What this meant in ordinary language was that only those who subscribed to Francoist ideals would be remembered and honoured.· So once again the emphasis is not on poetry in itself, but on the difference between poetry and ordinary language.· The third aspect of ordinary language which is violated by poetry is semantics.· Reality is at his disposal in the same way that ordinary language and the current literary conventions and devices are. ► other · What is apparent, on the other hand, is that the oral/aural use of the other languages is not diminishing.· Fang, Bubi and other indigenous languages.· Secondary aims included conforming to existing industry standards and defining interfaces to other languages.· By 1910 there were translations into six other languages, including a Yiddish version published in London.· It has so much depth, much more than if I were to express myself in other languages.· Soussou, Manika and six other local languages widely spoken.· No other ancient language succeeded in doing this.· It has official status in many countries where other languages are also spoken. ► spoken · It is not however so well suited to an intensive, detailed study of spoken language.· In understanding spoken language, lexical access is achieved by using information from the acoustic representation of a word.· Living Language How people express themselves in words Spoken language is what you speechread.· This would count as a very serious mistake in spoken language interpreting.· The same arguments apply to children's spoken language.· This is true even though they bring to the search the knowledge they already possess about how spoken language works.· Traditional behavioural formulations have regarded spoken language as the minimal units for any form of analysis.· The purpose was to show that he too used spoken language and that it and Tarvarian were mutually incomprehensible. ► strong · The monitors of the People's Daily's main discussion group let this strong language remain on the website.· Jacobson said he would have preferred stronger language on limiting fats, cholesterol, sodium and sugar.· It condemned racialism in the strongest language.· Northern church leaders used equally strong language about their southern counterparts.· Thus, a slightly different analysis / interpretation of the empirical data avoids the strong causal language of the other two studies.· He too has strong feelings about language, but they are directed mostly at marshmallow prose.· In a press conference, Bush supporters used the strongest language so far to impugn the legitimacy of the continued Florida recounts.· The airlines use stronger language to discourage them. ► written · For many teachers therefore written language is equated with literary language, with the polished performance of narrative, drama or poetry.· Many facets of spoken language are absent from written language.· The author of written language, however, can not respond in this way.· That use of the passive in written language which allows non-attribution of agency is typically absent from conversational speech.· For example, written language typically has to express things more explicitly, because it has to stand on its own.· For written language this involves information about how letters combine to form words, or orthography.· Thus supported, children will go on to extend their knowledge of written language by themselves. NOUN► barrier · Then there is the language barrier.· The lack of communication is emphasized by the language barrier.· Schools unwittingly erect a language barrier which must exclude great numbers of parents.· It has crossed language barriers as easily as it has iron curtains and great walls.· It was true they were very quiet which the Girls thought was a combination of shyness and the language barrier.· There was, first, the language barrier.· Because of the language barrier and culture shock, such insights are far too rare.· Confusion caused by language barriers is the most obvious, but beliefs about proper behavior and courtesy also shift across cultural lines. ► body · Your body language will speak volumes about your happy state. 4 Inhibition decreases.· You need to see the body language.· Yet body language often tells us so much more than mere words.· Disbelief is virtually shouted in the body language of those gathered.· Upon meeting them you instantly see what they look like, and quickly observe their facial expressions, gestures and body language.· She can read it in her body language.· This responsiveness to body language also affects the way horses react to humans.· We have a different look and body language right now. ► learner · N.B. Languages and language learners are very idiosyncratic and what works for some may not work for others.· Foreign language learners need to enter into long stretches of communication, in real and complex situations.· The direct questions we needed to ask of deaf people could not be asked adequately, since we were only language learners.· The book is designed specifically with the needs of the language learner in mind.· Their value for a language learner is that they contain all kinds of examples of people communicating.· Obviously this would only apply to programmes which would be used by many language learners.· The language learner needs to be able to handle language which is not idealized - language in use.· Some language learners also find it easier to hear e.g. a word initial sound at a predictable point in a frame. ► learning · The importance of listening in language learning is often overlooked.· We do not need, then, to embrace the semantic asymmetry in order to give an account of language learning.· Interference from the native language is probably one of the most noticeable aspects of the early stages in second language learning.· Lingua, promoting foreign language learning.· About one third of your daily language learning time should be spent in this activity.· Language learning through enjoyment Variety and enjoyment are vital at the primary stages of language learning.· The prediction in relation to language learning is to some extent confusing.· Avoidance is a negative strategy seen in language learning. ► sign · Very frequently in the literature earlier discussions about sign language universality are described as myths or misconceptions.· Their beautiful movement and artistic sign language adds a new dimension to the production.· But perhaps the most important feature which makes communication possible across different sign languages is the shared culture of deaf people.· The only means of communication was sign language.· His sign language was, on the whole, positive.· By now I was extremely hungry, so I used sign language to beg the official for food.· But with practical help using sign language and sounds, experts say learning becomes easier instead of being frustrating.· The clear implication is that there is one universal sign language. ► skill · Mathematical and language skills unite in the understanding of logic and reasoning, an essential component of mature intelligence.· Children develop their language skills with reading and writing.· It aims to improve teacher effectiveness and emphasises the development of language skills and awareness through the co-operative exploration of teaching/learning problems.· Frustrated educators search for dramatic new ways to get at one root of the problem: language skills.· Foreign language skills would also be an asset.· Instead, he said, almost every child subjected to the computer animation and sound games rapidly learned normal language skills.· A recent job advert for travel representatives abroad asked for language skills and included signing in the list of useful languages.· They kept to themselves, however, and you could never be sure of either their language skills or their motives. ► target · Decide from the very beginning that your aim is to use the target language as much as possible in the sessions.· This creates additional problems of target language suitability, problems which have yet to be solved.· Is the contact of the learner with the target language group likely to be intermittent rather than extensive?· For this reason, spoken language interpreters are specifically trained to reject the effects of their utterance of the target language.· This can happen when the target language has a grammatical category which the source language lacks.· You can use a camera in the classroom to let learners see and hear themselves communicating in the target language.· Differential grammar enables us to determine some of the main grammatical difficulties involved in learning the target language.· Module 1 is designed for beginners ie those with no prior knowledge of the target language. ► teacher · The roles of applied linguist and language teacher are different; they work to different professional briefs.· What we need to decide as language teachers is the degree to which other components of communication need teaching.· Such is the current shortage of foreign language teachers.· They are more often than not monolingual and monocultural and, as language teachers, in a position of power.· It is interesting to note that we often refer to the training rather than education of language teachers.· Working abroad is particularly appropriate for language teachers.· He travelled widely throughout the Balkans, then went to Vienna in 1771, where he was employed as a language teacher. ► teaching · The underlying educational values in language teaching, then, are not often clearly stated or conceptualized.· Using an integrated programme of modules, the programme achieved outstanding results in language teaching.· This problem is very much in evidence in language teaching too.· Vocabulary Vocabulary provides a clear and comprehensive overview of this important area of language teaching.· There are implications for language teaching and learning in all of them.· Supporters like Jim Cummins maintain that heritage language teaching is an important step in helping immigrant students realize their potential.· Then consider this invented dialogue from a language teaching textbook.· Of course, many people concerned with language teaching have come to a similar conclusion. ► use · And yet our eventual objective must be to prepare learners to cope with the natural conditions of language use.· But settling questions of language use is the job of pragmatics-the study of the use of language in context.· Project Video stimulates active language use Project Video provides a stimulus for learners to produce their own projects.· What I am seeking to do is to outline a model of language use.· Nor was I surprised that I often had to show the students how language use might be made meaningful.· In chapters 6 and 7 I would like to propose a characterization of grammar and language use which shows their interdependence.· In his work on social class and linguistic styles, Basil Bernstein has identified two different modes of language use.· They are based on observations of everyday experience and language use. VERB► learn · They travelled here for refuge or for rest, To learn the language or to taste the fruit.· It reminded me of learning a foreign language.· He may even be able to tackle learning a foreign language.· There are rich possibilities at meals for kids to learn about language and literacy.· His most striking proposition to the lay reader is that human beings are genetically programmed to learn certain kinds of language.· Another option is to learn the language.· Language teachers may tend to present the view that it is the only way to learn the language.· Instead, he said, almost every child subjected to the computer animation and sound games rapidly learned normal language skills. ► programme · Much of the software currently in use is based upon virtually extinct programming languages that hardly anyone understands any more.· Perhaps the most important change in Netscape Version 2 is its ability to run programs written in the Java programming language.· Microsoft and Sun, of Palo Alto, are sparring over the Java programming language.· For that reason, Apple broke tradition and did not include a programming language along with the machine.· To deal with that issue, Java was deliberately crippled as a programming language.· It would also run on the Java programming language.· The best-known example is Java, a programming language from Sun Microsystems that can bring web pages to life.· Java is a programming language that Sun unveiled last year. ► speak · She speaks several languages and partakes of many specialized vocabularies in the context of her daily existence.· They seemed to speak the same language.· He speaks five languages, but doesn't use them much - in speech, that is, though he reads a lot.· We saturate babies in the cadences, sounds, rhythms, and purposes of spoken language.· We did not speak their language, of course, so we used our hands and faces to show that we were hungry.· We might speak different languages but we're all the same.· Was she the only one in this part of the world who only spoke one language?· The child at the stage of concrete operations can assume the viewpoint of others and spoken language is social and communicative. ► teach · I was writing at the time and trying to teach myself languages.· Y., has introduced a bill to ban federal funds from being spent on programs that teach ebonics as a language.· There are also extensive entries on classroom practice, teaching methods, the language laboratory and the psychology of learning.· But it is not present in gorillas-which evolved midway between orangs and chimps-and gorillas can be taught a simple gestural language.· In other words, writing can teach us about language.· Anyone concerned with selecting a class book for teaching a language will face a wide choice of texts.· One of the girls is teaching me the language.· It taught people about a language, but not how to use that knowledge in talking or communication. ► understand · Man understands his kind of language.· It was a theology of pruning and purification, and this impulse was reflected in how they understood language.· Until these questions are answered, no computer can be said to understand language.· Fong understood neither their language nor their disgusting habits.· Language and linguistics People understand language by using their knowledge about everyday life to add to what is explicitly stated.· I wanted to help him, but I felt constricted, struggling against the limitations of understanding and language.· I did not struggle, and spoke politely to him, although I knew he did not understand any of my languages.· Dineh could not understand their language, but he heard something else. ► write · Their written language was the most advanced of the pre-Columbian scripts, and their astronomical knowledge beyond compare.· The proposal should be written in direct language.· Being written in different programming languages, there was no literal similarity between the programs.· What gets lost in all this are the real needs of children and adults working to make written language their own.· It is written in simple non-technical language.· His written language was far more flawed than hers had been at the outset; his thoughts were very simple and cliched.· It will also use ObjectStore to recognise code, data and objects written in different programming languages.· But she had never learned to read or write the language of her adopted land. Phrases PHRASES FROM THE ENTRY► strong language The film contains strong language and violence. The film has lots of violence, scenes of drug-taking, and strong language. The following programme contains strong language, and some viewers may find it offensive. Admiral Boyd opposed the idea in the strongest language I had ever heard him use. In a press conference, Bush supporters used the strongest language so far to impugn the legitimacy of the continued Florida recounts. It condemned racialism in the strongest language. Jacobson said he would have preferred stronger language on limiting fats, cholesterol, sodium and sugar. Jefferson never used stronger language than Carroll did against religion supPorted by law. Northern church leaders used equally strong language about their southern counterparts. The monitors of the People's Daily's main discussion group let this strong language remain on the website. PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES► dead language Latin is a dead language. Also included is the artificial adoption of dead languages for nationalistic purposes. He made the dead languages into living literature. He stared, then said her words himself, the way he'd spoken Latin as a boy. Dead language. There are some who call Yiddish a dead language, but so was Hebrew called for two thousand years. ► foul language Never use foul language to a customer. The Police are seemingly unable to do anything about it, especially against the use of the foulest language accompanying such vice. ► mind your manners/language/p’s and q’s► native language/tongue English is not his native language. And as they learn their native language, they also use language to learn other things. But dialect features are not errors in this sense at all, but are characteristics of a pupil's native language. But for most of us our native tongue is alive and constantly shifting. It is perfectly possible to communicate with little or no such similarity or else children would never learn their native tongue. Some of the early researchers took a pessimistic view of what we would lose with the disappearance of native languages. ► in plain English/language A weekly publication that analyzes some 1, 700 different stocks, Value Line is written in plain language. Our subsequent telephone conversation was a study in plain language, but McFarlane held his ground and made no apologies. ► play with words/language But why shouldn't feminists play with language for political ends? Children learn vocabulary from talking, reading, writing, and from playing with words. Recognising this, some feminists have used the alternative strategy of deliberately playing with words rather than attempting straightforwardly to redefine them. Rhymesters, poets, writers, and jokers of all kinds - and their audiences - have always loved playing with words. She was given to playing with words in that way. Young children play with language, trying out sounds before they start experimenting with words. ► speak the same language Politically they are our enemies, but when it comes to trade I think we speak the same language. When your sales, marketing, and production people are all speaking the same language, it pays real dividends. His actions now speak the same language. If we're to communicate, you and I, we have to be sure we're speaking the same language. Some one from industry might be seen by employers as speaking the same language as they do themselves. 5. They spoke the same language of progress, and shared a cautious trust that they knew could be relied on. They seemed to speak the same language. Very likely he expects a bambina - even Constanza found they didn't speak the same language any more. We speak the same language, share similar interests. ► spoken English/language etc At 2 years of age, children begin to master spoken language, a system of arbitrary signs. For this reason, spoken language interpreters are specifically trained to reject the effects of their utterance of the target language. In normal spoken language there are often clear pragmatic constraints on the choice of particular syntactic forms. In order of their emergence, they are deferred imitation, symbolic play, drawing, mental imagery, and spoken language. Neologisms come and go very quickly in spoken language but tend to be less frequent in writing. Researchers at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore have found that testosterone aids spatial thinking, but interferes with performance of spoken language. The purpose was to show that he too used spoken language and that it and Tarvarian were mutually incomprehensible. The same arguments apply to children's spoken language. ► strong language Admiral Boyd opposed the idea in the strongest language I had ever heard him use. In a press conference, Bush supporters used the strongest language so far to impugn the legitimacy of the continued Florida recounts. It condemned racialism in the strongest language. Jacobson said he would have preferred stronger language on limiting fats, cholesterol, sodium and sugar. Jefferson never used stronger language than Carroll did against religion supPorted by law. Northern church leaders used equally strong language about their southern counterparts. The monitors of the People's Daily's main discussion group let this strong language remain on the website. ► target language Decide from the very beginning that your aim is to use the target language as much as possible in the sessions. Differential grammar enables us to determine some of the main grammatical difficulties involved in learning the target language. For this reason, spoken language interpreters are specifically trained to reject the effects of their utterance of the target language. Is the contact of the learner with the target language group likely to be intermittent rather than extensive? Module 1 is designed for beginners ie those with no prior knowledge of the target language. This can happen when the target language has a grammatical category which the source language lacks. This creates additional problems of target language suitability, problems which have yet to be solved. You can use a camera in the classroom to let learners see and hear themselves communicating in the target language. 1English/French/Arabic etc [countable, uncountable] a system of communication by written or spoken words, which is used by the people of a particular country or area:  How many languages do you speak? one of the best-known poems in the English language2communication [uncountable] the use of written or spoken words to communicate:  the origins of language3style/type of words [uncountable] a particular style or type of wordslegal/medical/technical etc language The letter was written in complicated legal language.spoken/written language The expression is mainly used in written language.ordinary/everyday language He is able to explain complicated ideas in simple everyday language.literary/poetic language The plays are full of old-fashioned poetic language.language of the language of science4swearing [uncountable] informal words that most people think are offensivemind/watch your language spoken (=stop swearing)bad/foul/abusive language5strong language a)angry words used to tell people exactly what you mean b)words that most people think are offensive SYN  swearing6computers [countable, uncountable] technical a system of instructions for operating a computer:  a programming language for the Web7signs/actions/sounds [countable, uncountable] signs, movements, or sounds that express ideas or feelingslanguage of the language of bees the language of dolphins → body language, sign language, → speak the same language at speak(11)COLLOCATIONSverbsspeak a language· Can you speak a foreign language?use a language· The children use their native language at home.learn a language· Immigrants are expected to learn the language of their new country.master a language (=succeed in learning a language well)· She had had a long struggle to master the Russian language.know a language· He had lived in Japan, but did not know the language.ADJECTIVES/NOUN + languagea foreign language· He found learning a foreign language extremely difficult.the English/Japanese/Spanish etc language· She had some knowledge of the Spanish language.somebody’s first/native language (=the language someone first learned as a child)· His first language was Polish.a second language (=a language you speak that is not your first language)· Most of the students learned English as their second language.modern languages (=languages that are spoken now)· The school has a good modern languages department.a dead language (=a language that is no longer spoken)· She didn’t see the point of learning a dead language.an official language (=the language used for official business in a country)· Canada has two official languages: English and French.a common language (=a language that more than one person or group speaks, so that they can understand each other)· Most of the countries of South America share a common language: Spanish.language + NOUNthe language barrier (=the problem of communicating with someone when you do not speak the same language)· Because of the language barrier, it was hard for doctors to give good advice to patients.a language student/learner· Language learners often have problems with tenses.a language teacher· a book for language teacherslanguage teaching· recent developments in language teachingphrasessomebody’s command of a language (=someone’s ability to speak a language)· Does he have a good command of the language?THESAURUSdifferent kinds of languagedialect a form of a language that is spoken in one area of a country, with different words, grammar, or pronunciation from other areas: · Cantonese is only one of many Chinese dialects.· the local dialectaccent the way that someone pronounces words, because of where they were born or live, or their social class: · Karen has a strong New Jersey accent.· an upper class accentslang very informal spoken language, used especially by people who belong to a particular group, for example young people or criminals: · Teenage slang changes all the time.· ‘Dosh’ is slang for ‘money’.terminology formal the technical words or expressions that are used in a particular subject: · musical terminology· Patients are often unfamiliar with medical terminology.jargon especially disapproving words and phrases used in a particular profession or subject and which are difficult for other people to understand: · The instructions were written in complicated technical jargon.· ‘Outsourcing’ is business jargon for sending work to people outside a company to do.· The letter was full of legal jargon.techniques used in languagemetaphor a way of describing something by referring to it as something different and suggesting that it has similar qualities to that thing: · The beehive is a metaphor for human society.simile an expression that describes something by comparing it with something else, using the words as or like, for example ‘as white as snow’: · The poet uses the simile ‘soft like clay’.irony the use of words that are the opposite of what you really mean, often in order to be amusing: · ‘I’m so happy to hear that,’ he said, with more than a trace of irony in his voice.bathos a sudden change from a subject that is beautiful, moral, or serious to something that is ordinary, silly, or not important: · The play is too sentimental and full of bathos.hyperbole a way of describing something by saying that it is much bigger, smaller, worse etc than it actually is – used especially to excite people’s feelings: · In his speeches, he used a lot of hyperbole.· journalistic hyperbolealliteration the use of several words together that all begin with the same sound, in order to make a special effect, especially in poetry: · the alliteration of the ‘s’ sound in ‘sweet birds sang softly’imagery the use of words to describe ideas or actions in a way that makes the reader connect the ideas with pictures in their mind: · the use of water imagery in Fitzgerald’s novel ‘The Great Gatsby’· She uses the imagery of a bird’s song to represent eternal hope.rhetorical question a question that you ask as a way of making a statement, without expecting an answer: · When he said ‘how can these attitudes still exist in a civilized society?’, he was asking a rhetorical question.
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